


Heartbeats

by Eiliem



Series: Tiny!Ace and Tinier!Luffy [9]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Brotherhood, Childhood, Cuddling, D Brothers, Family, Ficlet, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, POV Third Person, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-25
Updated: 2009-11-25
Packaged: 2017-10-03 17:59:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eiliem/pseuds/Eiliem
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It doesn't take much for a routine incident to become near-disastrous.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heartbeats

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Naye for the beta and the title!

The day the world ends, it doesn't really.

It's a nice day. A really sunny one – the first in weeks. It's a bit windy, but the air is full of birdsong and the buzzing of insects; Dadan's hydrangeas are blooming. And Ace is teaching Luffy how to fly.

More specifically, Ace's fists are teaching Luffy how to fly.

"Whee~ That was _far_, Ace! Shishishi!" Luffy bounces back towards him with an embarrassingly transparent punch; Ace sidesteps the attack and hurls Luffy through the air again. And again.

And again.

They take a break for lunch, stomachs growling in unison. Ace unpacks the picnic basket that Dadan filled for them – hoping for some peace and quiet until Gramps arrives at dinnertime – while Luffy chases butterflies and scavenges for beetles.

"_Ace. Ace!_" Luffy whisper-shouts somewhere behind him and Ace turns to see his brother's head poking up from over the edge of the cliff, eyes wide with wonder.

"Luffy what are you--"

"There's a _bird nest_! In the side of the cliff! With eggs in it!"

"Leave them alone, Luffy--"

_CRACK_.

There's just enough time for them both to realize what's going to happen; Luffy's face changes from excited to "oops" and then half the cliff under him plunges into the ocean.

Ace is already sprinting for the water by the time he hears the splash. _Idiot_, he thinks, _why won't he just_ stay away _from the water_!

Ace has pulled Luffy out of the water before. His brother can't seem to stay away like a sensible, _sane_ Devil Fruit user. It's practically routine for them by now.

He dives into the water – _freezing_ this early in spring – makes his way to the thrashing Luffy, and manages to grab a hold of one of his wrists.

And then—

Ace doesn't know what happens, maybe the undertow is stronger here than at other places along the coast, maybe it's windier than he realized, because the world turns the wrong way, salty stinging water rushes up his nose, and he's _slammed_ head-first into a rock.

He's burning inside – nose, throat, lungs – from inhaling water when he cracked his head on the stone.

His hand is empty.

And he. Can't. See. Luffy.

Before Ace can right himself, or regain any control over his now-heavy limbs, the water throws him into the rocks again. And he stops seeing anything at all.

"-ce."

He hurts.

"Ace. Ace."

He feels dizzy and sick and light-headed. He's freezing.

"_Ace!_"

Ace opens his eyes – opens _one _eye, he can't see through the left; that side of his face is sore and swollen. And…sticky. Why is his face sticky? What--

"Da-- Da…dan?" His throat hurts and his mouth tastes gross.

"Oh thank god. Garp he's awake."

"G…Gramps?" He can't breathe very well and he's cold and shivering and all wet.

All. Wet.

Luffy.

"Luffy. Dadan..._Luffy_...water."

"Shhh, shhh, we've got him, it's fine."

Ace starts coughing and Dadan shifts him up and holds him half-sitting while Ace coughs and coughs and tries hard to breathe.

He can see Gramps now, bent over something on the ground, but Ace can't see Luffy.

He can't see Luffy. Luffy fell in the water. Ace is cold and Dadan is holding him, making shushing noises and…shaking like…like Dadan's upset. Ace twists his head, trying to see--

Gramps is bent over Luffy. Breathing for him.

Luffy is lying on the ground. Not. Moving.

"Garp I think he's in shock."

"Get him insid—_shit_." Gramps drops Luffy's wrist, traces over his tiny ribcage and starts pushing down over his heart in sharp, certain movements. Luffy's thin chest flattens, absorbing the pressure.

"Shit shit shit. Come on Luffy." Ace and Dadan watch in stricken silence as Gramps tilts Luffy's head and blows air into his mouth again. And again. Then he pulls an arm back and strikes hard in the centre of Luffy chest, whose entire body jolts under the force.

Gramps does it again. And again, and again. And again.

"Oh god." Dadan draws Ace closer, moves an arm around him and now Ace can't see anything, can only hear the thwack _thwack_ of Gramps trying to – trying to—

He's sobbing, drawing air in shallow, painful breaths and he doesn't – doesn't know when he started. Dadan scoops him up and starts carrying him towards the house and Ace _fights_, kicks and thrashes.

"Lu—Luf—fy. Stop…don't want. Stay."

"Ace stop, we need to – stop you're going to hurt yourself – we need to get you warm."

"_Luffy!_"

Then there's a wet, gurgling noise behind them. Dadan whirls around and Ace stops moving.

Gramps is holding Luffy on his side as he coughs and coughs and coughs, water spurting through his lips.

"Is he…?"

Luffy breathes.

They get them in the house eventually, out of their wet, cold clothes and Dadan wraps them both in towels and tucks them into the big bed in the guest room so Gramps can keep an eye on them. While their guardian goes for more blankets and ice for Ace's head, Gramps bandages the cut above Ace's left eye and listens to his breathing.

"How did you know we fell in?"

"My ship arrived earlier than expected, Dadan and I were coming to surprise you two."

If Gramps hadn't…if the ship--

"Shh, Ace. It's fine. Deep breaths boy, you're okay, Luffy's okay. It's alright." Gramps gathers him up in his arms and rocks him gently – like a _baby_ – until Ace stops shaking. "Shhhh."

Luffy is already asleep. Tiny and pale and breathing, and every once in a while Gramps leans over and presses an ear to his chest. But even after Gramps and Dadan stop fussing over his head, Ace can't sleep; the ice is _cold_ and they said he has to keep it there for at least half an hour.

He lies in bed, eyes heavy, head spinning and clutches Luffy's wrist in his hand. Feels rubber flesh compress in his grasp. And under the cool skin, steady and soothing, a heartbeat like home.

 

The day the world ends, it doesn't really.

But it was so close.


End file.
